Welcome to my blog

I have created this site in order to provide performers, listeners and composers with a description of a composer's experiences with the creative process. The posts will provide discussions of the inspirations, challenges, and successes of a composer from the inception of the piece to the culmination in performance. I will provide a link to where you can see and hear the works in progress. Comments and questions are always welcomed. They will not posted unless you grant me permission.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Arizona Centennial Overture - Second Step After Completion

I decided that my second step would be to work on the parts for the advanced version. Sibelius software enables one to make changes in the parts and those changes will occur in the score as well, and vice versa. It also enables one to move things around in the parts without them moving in the score. I decide that I would format and correct the parts in the advanced version before working on the simpler version. After the parts are completed, I can then duplicate the file that contains both score and parts and the changes I make to simplify the score will also be made in the parts.

Part extraction is relatively simple, but a very important step for me. In addition to making sure that page turns work, it enables me to see the music from the perspective of each individual musician. I can more easily see potential performance problems that I might overlook in the score. I usually work from the bottom of the score to the top because occasionally a dynamic from the part above is attached accidentally to the staff below and I can catch this error before working on the parts above it. Below is list of changes I have made to illustrate how important this step is:

Percussion 2 - I realized that I did not list the guiro in the Percussion 2 instruments in the score part name.
Percussion 1 - I did not leave enough time for the player to change from snare sticks to mallets for the Wood Block or Temple Blocks at measure 16. I eliminated the snare part at measure 15 to solve this problem.
Timpani - I was able to check that all the pitch changes and notes are correct.
Tuba, Euph., Troms., Alto Sax 1, Piccolo - When Sibelius enters cues, it also shows the full measure rests in the part. I eliminated the full measure rests to make the cues easier to read as the may be played instead of just helping the musician count rests.
Euphonium - In measure 96, I brought some of the notes up an octave to set up the next measure. Otherwise there may have been a large leap to the high notes.
Horns - There were close intervals up high for the horns at the end of measure 179. I revoiced the chord to provide more space between the notes.  Horns have enough of a challenge being accurate in the high register without worrying about whether dissonance is correct.
Alto Saxophone, Alto Clarinet and Bass Clarinet - These parts needed to have the page turn after page 2 instead of after pages 1 & 3. If taped or copied back to back, pages 1 and 2 would be adjacent to each other and pages 3 and 4 adjacent to each other. The entire 11X 17 page would be turned after page 2. This is necessary because there were not enough rests earlier in the piece for these instruments to make the page turn after page 1.


While working on the parts, I was also looking ahead to where I might need to simplify the piece for the easier version. 

To see and hear what I have discussed in previous posts, go to
http://www.cooppress.net/aco_blog.html. Audio and visual examples are provided to illustrate my discussion . Since blogspot does not have the capability of including audio examples, this link will navigate you away from this blog. To return, use your browser's back button or click on the Composing Insights link on the audio page. You will have two choices to hear the audio examples. The first uses a free Scorch plug-in that will enable you to see a scrolling score as you listen to the audio example. The second is an mp3 file of the audio only. The complete score is now transposed. If you would like to receive notifications of new blog posts, sign up to follow this blog.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Arizona Centennial Overture - First Step After Completion

As I said in my last post, there is still a lot of work to be done so that this overture can be performed by many different musical organizations during the centennial. I struggled a bit with how to proceed in the most logical manner, since so many things need to be done. I decided that the first step was to determine the absolute minimum instrumentation needed to have this composition work and to insert appropriate cues in order to cover solos and other important parts in less common instruments. I did this by duplicating the Sibelius file containing the overture, renaming it "minimum instrumentation", and muting the optional and less common instruments. I was able to tell where I need to add cues and/or change the voicing of some of the chords so that the piece can sound complete with less instruments. It is difficult to predict the instrument strengths and weakness of every group that will want to play this overture. For example, there was a while when public schools in Pennsylvania were experiencing large shortages of trombone players. Another example is the band that I play in now has a shortage of percussionists. But I think these problems are less frequent than not having double reeds or even French Horns.  

While I was doing this step of reworking the orchestration, I began to prepare a document that will outline the possibilities to potential performing groups. Here is the excerpt regarding instrumentation:

Full Instrumentation – pic; fl. 1 & 2; ob. 1 & 2; bsn. 1 & 2; Bb cl. 1, 2, 3; al. cl.; bs. cl.; al. sax. 1 & 2; ten. Sax.; bari. Sax.; trpt. 1, 2, 3; hn. 1, 2, 3, 4; trom. 1, 2, 3; euph BC and TC; tuba; timp.; perc. 1 (SD, Temple Blocks or 2 WB, claves, tom-toms); perc. 2 (BD, rattle, tamb. guiro); glock.

Minimum Instrumentation - pic; fl. 1 & 2; Bb cl. 1, 2, 3; bs. cl.; al. sax. 1 & 2; ten. Sax.; trpt. 1, 2, 3; hn. 1, 2; trom. 1, 2, 3; euph BC and TC; tuba; timp.; perc. 1 (SD, Temple Blocks or 2 WB, claves, tom-toms); perc. 2 (BD, rattle, tamb.); glock.

Can even be played without Horns, Bs. Clar., and Bari. Sax. if necessary as the following solos are cued:
Oboe solos are cued in Al. Sax. 1
Hn. 1 solos are cued in Trom. 1
Important Bs. Cl. Are cued in the Euph. Or Tuba part

I also decided to make the score size 8 1/2 X 14 (legal size). I left each instrument on a single staff as combining two instruments onto a staff would make the score more cluttered to read due to the stems of notes going in opposite directions. The staves are about the size of a miniature score, which is not too hard to read. If the conductor wishes to, he/she could have the score enlarged to 11 X 17 after download.

To see and hear what I have discussed in previous posts, go to 
http://www.cooppress.net/aco_blog.html. Audio and visual examples are provided to illustrate my discussion . Since blogspot does not have the capability of including audio examples, this link will navigate you away from this blog. To return, use your browser's back button or click on the Composing Insights link on the audio page. You will have two choices to hear the audio examples. The first uses a free Scorch plug-in that will enable you to see a scrolling score as you listen to the audio example. The second is an mp3 file of the audio only. The complete score is now transposed. If you would like to receive notifications of new blog posts, sign up to follow this blog.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Arizona Centennial Overture - Hispanic Section and Ending

I have completed the overture and today I will discuss the "Hispanic Section" and ending. Audio and visual examples are provided to illustrate my discussion . Since blogspot does not have the capability of including audio examples, a link is provided that will navigate you away from this blog. To return, use your browser's back button or click on the Composing Insights link on the audio page. You will have two choices to hear the audio examples. The first uses a free Scorch plug-in that will enable you to see a scrolling score as you listen to the audio example. The second is an mp3 file of the audio only. The score is now transposed.

The "Hispanic Section" was a lot of fun to write as I was very influenced by Mariachi Music, which is very sunny and optimistic. This section is very basic harmonically as it uses mostly I, IV, and V chords in major. In order to make it more interesting harmonically, I changed keys five times within the one and a half minutes of this section.

This section has two melodic ideas. The first is a festive melody in the trumpets and clarinets in 4/4 meter.
 
After an interlude of alternating 3/4 and 6/8 meters, the second melody is in 3/4 time over a syncopated accompaniment that continues the alternating meter feel occurs.


I repeat twice the syncopation at the end of this melody (not shown in the above example), each time up a step, to lead the listener into the ending.
The ending borrows fragments of the celebration fanfare from the beginning of the piece at measures 179 and 181. It is answered by a fragment from the "Native American" section in measures 180 and 182. Measures 181 and 182 are up a minor third from measures 179 and 180. Measures 184 and 185 are from the "Hispanic Section". It was my intention to create and ending that reflects the coming together of cultures in a celebration of what Arizona is today.

There is still a lot of work to be done so that this overture can be performed by many different musical organizations during the centennial. I will be discussing the process during my next posts. I welcome my readers comments at any time.

To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/aco_blog.html. If you would like to receive notifications of new blog posts, sign up to follow this blog.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Arizona Centennial Overture - Native American Section Revised Again

I have taken a break from composing to work on my income taxes and now I'm back to discuss yet another revision to the "Native American Section" of this overture. Audio and visual examples are provided to illustrate my discussion . Since blogspot does not have the capability of including audio examples, a link is provided that will navigate you away from this blog. To return, use your browser's back button or click on the Composing Insights link on the audio page. You will have two choices to hear the audio examples. The first uses a free Scorch plug-in that will enable you to see a scrolling score as you listen to the audio example. The second is an mp3 file of the audio only. The score is in concert pitch.

The section from measures 85-103 was not quite right. When I first composed this section, I wanted a strong, noble, harmonized idea to contrast the single line flute and drum section that precedes it. What I came up with was nice, but the more I listened the more it sounded out of place. When my wife listened to it, she agreed with me. (By the way, I always find it helpful to have an extra set of ears to listen when I am composing a piece. When I am so immersed in a composition that I live with day in and day out, those extra ears can give a fresh perspective.) I tried several things to revise this section including removing the harmonized material and doing more with the single line idea, but I could not get the harmonized idea out of my head. I finally tried changing some of the harmony to use less triads in 3rds. I replaced these chords with more open sounds like chords in 4ths and 5ths. I also changed the dynamic from f to mp and thinned out the orchestration. The result is a noble section that transitions better from the single line melody. Here is an example of the new chords for the harmonized, noble section. The top two parts are oboes in treble clef and the bottom two parts are bassoons in bass clef. These parts are doubled in the clarinet family.


Another thing that has had me concerned is that I may be leaving out representing important cultures in this overture. I am a fan of watching KEAT's Arizona Stories and last Tuesday's program had a piece on the importance of the Chinese in settling Arizona. But how can I include a section for each influential culture in a six-minute overture? The answer is that I can't. But what I had in mind was that the "Pioneer Section" would pay tribute to those important influences that preceded Arizona's statehood. In many ways, this section, while composed to sound "western"representing the open land, also has characteristics of many different cultures. The horse-hooves can represent the ranchers and farmers. The minor quality of this section can represent the dangers faced by the miners. The parallelism in the harmony sounds almost Chinese. I hope that listeners will hear this section as being inclusive of all the pre-statehood influences and hear it as a tribute to all the cultures that make Arizona what it is today.

To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/aco_blog.html. If you would like to receive notifications of new blog posts, sign up to follow this blog.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Arizona Centennial Overture - Native American Section Revised

Today, I will be discussing my revision to the "Native American Section" of this overture. Audio and visual examples will be provided to illustrate my discussion . Since blogspot does not have the capability of including audio examples, a link is provided that will navigate you away from this blog. To return, use your browser's back button or click on the Composing Insights link on the audio page. You will have two choices to hear the audio examples. The first uses a free Scorch plug-in that will enable you to see a scrolling score as you listen to the audio example. The second is an mp3 file of the audio only. The score is in concert pitch.

In working on the third section (Hispanic Influences) and the ending, I began to feel that something is not right with the end of the Native American section. When I first composed the Moderato part (measures 107-116), I felt it was too short, but decided to let it go until I got more of the next part done. The Hispanic section came quickly and as I was thinking about how to end the piece, I thought I would try to combine themes from all three parts as a way of illustrate the mix of cultures that makes Arizona what it is today. (I will talk about and include examples of the Hispanic section and end in my next post.) In doing this, I used the Moderato of the Native American section and added some phrases from the Pioneer section. I then realized that the melody I created for the Moderato section sounded very angry because of emphasis on the minor mode. I did some more listening on youtube of Southwestern Native American music and then created a new melody that avoids the tonic pitch in minor. This new melody is more contemplative than angry. I also realized that returning either to the Pioneer section or the Native American section was anti-climatic, especially after the bright and festive Hispanic section. It was then that I realized how to expand the Moderato section when it first appears. I took what I wrote for the ending and inserted it into the Moderato. The result is better balance and a smoother transition. The Moderato is now twice as long. The first phrase is euphonium solo with drums. The second phrase is euphonium and trombones playing the melody with a flute counter melody. The third phrase is a French Horn solo and the fourth phrase is like the second except the motive from the Pioneer section is added in the trumpets and clarinets.

Below is the new melody I created for the Moderato section. It occurs over a steady beat in the tom-toms and timpani. To break up the regularity of phrasing and to make it sound more improvisatory, I add a few beats of drums alone at the ends of phrases. Sometimes it is two beats and other times three.



To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/aco_blog.html. If you would like to receive notifications of new blog posts, sign up to follow this blog.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Arizona Centennial Overture - Native American Section

Today, I will be discussing the "Native American Section" of this overture. Audio and visual examples will be provided to illustrate my discussion . Since blogspot does not have the capability of including audio examples, a link is provided that will navigate you away from this blog. To return, use your browser's back button or click on the Composing Insights link on the audio page. You will have two choices to hear the audio examples. The first uses a free Scorch plug-in that will enable you to see a scrolling score as you listen to the audio example. The second is an mp3 file of the audio only. The score is in concert pitch.

I have incorporated Native American influences into several of my compositions as I am very inspired by the music. Each time, I am faced with the challenge of making the music my own and yet retain the characteristics of their music. Sometimes I harmonize the monophonic lines or create a counterpoint to the monophonic line. For this overture, I created a monophonic flute melody that has a lot of grace notes reminiscent of bird calls (measures 78-84).


In the silences, I inserted tom-tom and rattle sounds in the percussion instruments. A guiro could be used as a substitute for the rattle if necessary. After this quiet section, a noble melody that is harmonized with a combination of chords in thirds and fourths is introduced. The phrases of this melody are broken up by a return to sections of the flute and percussion "bird call" idea (measures 85-103). Measures 103-106 brings back the solo flute and percussion. At measure 107, the tempo changes to Moderato. Tom-toms and timpani are used to created an ostinato and a new monophonic, chant-like melody is introduced in the baritone horn. At measure 112, this melody repeats with trombones doubling it and a contrapuntal flute melody reminiscent of the early flute melody is added. There is an accellerando at the end that leads into the new Hispanic Influence section and a change of key.

When my wife listened to this section, she raised the question of what to do when I transcribe this for chamber orchestra where only one percussionist is likely.  This got me thinking of how I can use the rest of the orchestra to do percussion sounds. In the Pioneer Section, the horses hooves are very important and I thought I could do that by having the string instruments knock on the wood body of their instruments. In the Native American Section, I can use the timpani for the tom-tom sounds and I could use muted trumpets flutter-tonguing for the rattle sound. I even incorporated the muted trumpets flutter-tonguing into the band version.

To see and hear what I have discussed, go to http://www.cooppress.net/aco_blog.html. If you would like to receive notifications of new blog posts, sign up to follow this blog.